overview

Amputation Surveillance System

Amputations are a disfiguring work-related injury that can lead to lifelong impairment. A comprehensive surveillance system that rapidly and accurately identifies amputation cases is important for two reasons. First, it provides information critical for developing prevention measures, and second, it alerts OSHA to potential ongoing workplace hazards.

A comprehensive surveillance system can augment a system based on employer-reported injuries, like the national and state OSHA amputation reporting rules, which likely captures only a fraction of reportable cases.

SHARP’s Occupational Health Surveillance Program is developing a workplace amputations surveillance system with automated referral of high priority cases to our state OSHA program, in order to address workplace hazards that lead to amputations.

publications